hogs

I received an email from a concerned citizen of Poland the other day inquiring if there were hog farms in his country like the ones he had seen on TV in Mexico. I guaranteed him that there were indeed such factory farms in Eastern Europe, and that they were doing terrible damage to the environment, animals, and the people.

Since regulatory agencies are often unable and/or unwilling to provide this information, Food & Water Watch used the USDA's Census of Agriculture to calculate the number of mega-livestock facilities in each county, providing an outstanding visual representation of national and state distribution trends.

The British documentary Pig Business provides an outstanding overview of the industrialization of hog production in the US and Big Pork's subsequent efforts to replicate this deplorable model throughout the world.

An interview with environmental photographer J. Henry Fair, who shoots industrial scars on the land from up high in a plane. Fair discusses his photography, voting and environmental responsibility and why which toilet paper you choose is important.

Unlike sustainable farmers who raise animals on pasture, industrial livestock producers rely on grain-based feed, which often includes many unsavory additives. Learn how this affects animals and humans.

Traditionally, farmers throughout the world raised thousands of different animal breeds and plant varieties. Though industrial farms now rely on only a few types of livestock and crops, traditional heritage breeds and heirloom varieties are still used by sustainable farmers.

It turns out the monumental merger between two giant pork producers, Smithfield and Shaunghui, was a foregone conclusion. One big question lingers: Was the deal a trade of water for waste? The first of three posts about the possible limits to global meat production.

Pork production in China is growing fast, shifting to US-style industrial operations, with thousands of pigs raised on a diet of commercial feed and drugs. In recent years, researchers and activists in and out of China have analyzed this on paper, but "What's for Dinner?" shows us the process firsthand.

For years, North Carolina communities have complained that industrial pork farms pollute their rivers and streams and lower quality of life in the area, but the state has all but ignored their complaints. The EPA is now conducting an investigation of the state's civil rights infringements that could change the game.